People often think of archaeology to be the study of the ancient and distant past hundreds or thousands of years ago. While this may be so in the last century, the modern archaeologist examines all periods of the human past, and it may be as recent as the Second World War or even the 1970s! Singapore’s colonial and modern history presents a rich opportunity for archaeologists to add another dimension of our understanding through the study of objects.

Indeed conducting archaeological research in a period with ample historical records aids with the interpretation of a site, but what archaeology does is to provide a glimpse into those absent from historical records or what was not recorded. Historical records seldom document everyday behavior and practices, yet this behavior can be found in the archaeological record. For example we know that the British arrived in Singapore in 1819 and established a trading post, but we know very little of how this settlement looks like and what sort of activities did they dealt in. Over the years, several archaeological projects have focused strictly on the colonial period and here are some of the sites investigated.